First Steps
by SennaFan4ever
Summary: Takes place in my Family Bonds universe. When Korra's firebending goes out of control a few months before Aisha's birth, it takes a simple request from a good friend and the faith of Jinora to help Korra start the journey of recovery. R/R


DISC: I DO NOT own any of the characters from LOK. They belong to Brike. I do however own anyone you don't recognize as well as the idea for this continuation.

A/N: This story is a companion one to Family Bonds.

"First Steps"

Korra sighed as she sat in her room on Air Temple Island. She had pretty much been in there ever since her firebending had started going out of control. She was so afraid of hurting the people she loved, she figured being around them as little as possible was the key to keeping them safe. She allowed Jinora near her, but none of her other siblings. She trusted Jinora. The pre-teen was helping her. Korra couldn't forgive herself if she hurt Ikki again or worse Kierna or Meelo. She had come out of her room to eat meals and train a little with Tenzin, but that was it. The only other person Korra allowed to touch her was her mother. Her Mom always had a calming effect on her. Korra trusted her mother above anyone else she knew.

Hearing Pema call the kids down for lunch, Korra swung her legs over the side of the bed and decided to join them. She knew if she didn't make an appearance soon, either her mother or Jinora would be knocking at her door to tell her it was time to eat.

Naga, who had been resting at Korra's feet, raised her head and made a hopeful growling noise in her throat.

Korra smiled.

"Yup, it's lunch time, girl. Come on and I'll give you a treat."

At the sound of one of her favorite words, the polar bear dog leapt to her paws and followed her mistress out of the room.

Entering the kitchen, Korra sat down at her usual spot. She let her mother hug her and returned the affection. However as Ikki ran over, Korra backed up a little.

"Korra, do you wanna play after lunch?" Ikki asked. Her gray eyes were full of hope.

"I'm not sure," Korra replied. She didn't want to say no right away, but she also wasn't sure if she really felt like it. She wanted to wait until after she was done eating before giving Ikki a definite answer.

Korra dug into her food after Pema served everyone. She was surprisingly hungry. She was glad the morning sickness had pretty much gone away. She hated getting sick almost every day. She still had to be careful with what she ate, but she could eat more often without throwing up. This was definitely a good thing. Korra knew her mother was relieved that she was eating more as well.

After lunch was over, Korra helped Pema do the dishes before going back to her room for a little bit. She wanted to rest before her training session with Tenzin. As she pet Naga's head and ears, a yawn escaped the teenager's lips. Heaving a sigh, Korra lie down and was asleep in a matter of minutes. She had two hours before she had to do airbending training. She could rest for a little bit…

*******

A knocking sound awoke Korra a little while later. She groaned as her cyan eyes opened partway.

"Korra? Korra?" Ikki's pleading voice came through the other side of the door.

Sitting up, Korra stretched and tried to get her body moving.

"Wha-what? Ikki, it's early," she complained.

"No it's not," the eight-year-old pointed out. She stepped into the room and sat on the edge of her older sister's bed. "Do you wanna play airball with us? Dad had to go help his ex-girlfriend with something so you don't have to train with him until later."

Korra thought about this for a minute before shaking her head. The truth was, she was still a little tired, but more than that, she didn't trust her firebending around the kids anymore.

"Ikki, I don't think so," she replied. She patted her shoulder before lying back down.

"Korra, please? Come on. We miss spending time with you," Ikki looked earnest and Korra could hear the sincerity in her words.

"I know. I miss you guys too. It's just that I'm still kind of tired. And I…I don't want to hurt any of you."

"You won't hurt us," Ikki assured her. "We're just playing airball. Come on," she rested a reassuring hand on Korra's shoulder.

Korra gently shrugged her off.

"No," Korra said again.

"We haven't played in few days. Please?" Ikki tried again.

Korra sighed.

"Ikki, I'm sorry. Not right now. Maybe later," she said.

Ikki frowned.

"You always say that, but you never play with us anymore!" With that, Ikki left the room, slamming the door behind her.

Korra sighed in frustration. She hadn't meant to make Ikki mad.

"Ikki, wait! I'm just trying to…" Korra's voice trailed off as she finished in as offer tone, "Keep you safe." Fighting back tears, she tried to figure out how to make up with her little sister. As she tried to come up with a solution, another knock sounded at her door. This time, she knew who it was. Furthermore, the person came in after a second without gaining permission.

"Korra, come on out and play some airball with us," Jinora coaxed. She sat down next to Korra and took her right hand in hers.

Korra almost pulled away, but stopped herself at the last minute. Taking a deep breath, the urge to jerk away subsided. Licking eyes with the twelve-year-old, she shook her head.

"Jinora, I really don't' feel like it," she replied.

"What's wrong?" the pre-teen asked.

"Nothing," Korra said a little too quickly for Jinora's liking, "I'm fine. I'm just tired."

Jinora raised her eyebrows.

"You're not fine," she concluded. Her tone was full of love, not judgment. She regarded her older sister with concern. "You can talk to me. We love you. We want to help you feel better."

Korra turned away as tears came to her eyes and flowed down her cheeks. She was about to say something when she felt her right hand suddenly heating up. Trying to jerk out of Jinora's grip, the flame burst forth.

Jinora pulled away, but not before a spark hit her palm.

"See? This is why I can't be around you guys!" Korra tearfully explained. She reached into a water jug and bent the water around both of her hands as she tried to stop crying. Bringing her hands out of the container, she proceeded to heal Jinora's tiny burn.

"Jinora, I'm so sorry," Korra tearfully apologized.

"It's okay," Jinora assured her.

"No it's not," Korra argued just as someone else entered the room.

"Korra, I just wanted to see if you wanted any-" Senna's voice trailed off as she took in the scene before her. Frowning in concern, she sat down on her daughter's other side. "Little one, what happened?" She gazed from Korra, who was still in tears, to Jinora, who was calming down, but upset as well and back again, hoping one of them would explain.

"It was just an accident," Jinora started. She was about to say more when they all heard Pema call for her.

"Jinora, I need your help!"

"I'll be right there!" With that, the twelve-year-old told Korra she loved her and promised to be back before leaving the room.

Once her niece was gone, Senna turned her attention to her daughter. Reaching out her arms, she pulled Korra in for a hug.

"Little one, we need to talk," she softly informed her.

Korra tried to pull out of her mother's embrace, but she was strong when the situation called for it.

"Mom, please let go," Korra softly begged, matching Senna's tone.

"No, not this time. It's okay," her mother planted a kiss on the top of her head as she spoke. "Honey, what happened?"

"I didn't mean to hurt her," Korra sniffed back more tears as she spoke, "I could feel my hand heating up. I tried to pull away, but Jinora held fast and…" her voice trailed off as she sobbed into her mother's chest.

"Shh, shh, little one, Jinora knows it was an accident. She doesn't blame you. I promise. Honey, I know you're scared. It's okay to be," her mother assured her.

"Mom, I've never lost control of my bending like that before. I love Jinora, I love all the kids. The last thing I want to do is hurt them."

"I know and so do they. They want to help you."

Korra nodded as a few more tears fell. She sipped at a water bottle her mother pressed to her lips. As she started to calm down, she felt her mother stroking her hair and humming. Both actions helped her relax a little. Before she new it, she was fast asleep in the safest place she knew…

******

A few hours later, Korra awoke to find Jinora sitting next to her bed. She managed a small smile for her younger sister. She frowned a minute later, still feeling guilty for hurting her again.

"Hey," Jinora greeted her. "Did you sleep well? Aunt Senna asked me to stay with you so you wouldn't wake up alone. She's helping my Mom with something."

Korra nodded. Taking a deep breath, she spoke.

"Jinora, I'm so sorry," she apologized again.

"I forgive you," the twelve-year-old smiled gently at the older girl.

"How can you forgive me so easily?" Korra was confused.

"Because you're my sister. I know you would never hurt me on purpose. I love you. And my Dad taught me how," Jinora reached out and hugged Korra.

Korra hugged back after a minute.

As the two pulled away, Korra smiled a little.

"I love you too, kiddo," she ruffled the pre-teen's hair. "I'm just scared," she admitted.

"I know you are," Jinora said, "we want to help you. Please don't shut us out."

"I'll try not to," Korra whispered. She let the remaining tears fall before she was able to calm down. Once her tears had subsided, she and Jinora talked for the next twenty-minutes until Senna came to get them for dinner.

A few days later, Korra was sitting in the living room, reading a letter her father had sent her when she heard Ikki shriek in excitement from the vicinity of the kitchen. Curious, Korra set the letter aside and got up to investigate. Her mother had convinced her to venture out more often. She was slowly getting used to being around her loved ones again without fear of hurting them. As she entered the kitchen, she found Ikki jumping up and down, a smile spreading across her face.

"Yes! Yes!" The eight-year-old cheered.

"What's gotten you so excited, Ikki?" Korra asked.

Ikki turned to her older sister and her face lit up even more.

"You're gonna watch us while Mommy and Daddy go on a date!" She announced.

Korra frowned at her little sister's words. She felt the fear rise in her chest as she tried to quell it. Turning to Pema, she tried to decline politely.

"Your Mom will be here, so you won't be totally alone," Pema reassured her. "Do you mind helping us tonight?"

Korra was torn. Of course she didn't mind helping. She loved watching her siblings. She just worried about hurting them again. Frowning, she shook her head.

"I don't mind," Korra started, "but I…I can't," with that, she turned and left the room. She heard Ikki calling after her, but she didn't stop. Getting to her destination, she closed the door and took deep breaths to calm herself down. No sooner had she gotten her breathing under control, there was a knock at her door.

"Korra?" It was Jinora and she sounded concerned.

"Jinora, please, leave me alone," Korra pleaded.

Jinora ignored her and walked into the room.

"I'll help you," Jinora offered.

"I know," Korra assured her. She turned away as she blinked back the tears. "I'm scared."

"I know. But you need to try," her younger sister pointed out. "If you get frustrated and start losing control of your bending, I'll help you calm down."

Korra sighed. Closing her eyes, she thought long and hard about her decision. Somewhere deep down in her heart, she knew Jinora spoke the truth. She had to start somewhere. And what better place than with her siblings. Finally, she opened her eyes, took a deep breath and nodded her agreement.

"I'll try," she consented.

Jinora grinned.

"I'm glad. Come with me," with that, she lead the way back downstairs.

"Pema," Korra took a deep breath as the woman she viewed as a second mother turned to face her.

"Yes, sweetie?" Pema smiled encouragingly at her.

"I'll do it. I'll watch the girls tonight," Korra declared.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like you have to do it," Pema reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"I appreciate that. But it's okay. I need to start somewhere. Besides, my Mom and Jinora will be here to help me if things get a little crazy," she smiled at the twelve-year-old before turning back to Pema.

Pema smiled.

"I'm proud of you," she reached out and pulled Korra in for a hug.

Korra hugged back before pulling away.

"So am I," a familiar female voice said from the doorway.

"Mom," Korra turned around and allowed her mother to embrace her.

"I'm still a little afraid," she admitted.

"And that's okay," her mother assured her. "It's understandable. But you're taking that first step and that's what matters."

Korra nodded. She knew her mother was right. And as she felt a feeling of love go through her as her mother held her close, Korra had a feeling she was going to be okay. It would take time and that was okay. Pulling away from her mother, Korra watched as Ikki approached her.

"Is it okay if I give you a hug?" she frowned anxiously up at her older sister.

Korra smiled.

"It's more than okay," with that, she embraced the little girl. Smiling down at her, Korra had a feeling that with her mother and siblings to help her, the journey to regaining control of her firebending would be a little easier.

THE END


End file.
